Principal Data Engineer

Internal use only - Grade E

About us

We’re the team behind digital retailer Very. 

Our purpose, helping families get more out of life, powers everything we do. 

And we want our people to get more out of life too! If you’re high-performing, ambitious and make the most of every opportunity, we want to hear from you. In return, you’ll enjoy heaps of flexibility, great perks and benefits, and the freedom to be yourself, keep learning and take your career wherever you want it to go. 

If you love making a difference, you’ll love making it sparkle for millions of Very customers. ✨ 

About the Role

As a Principal Data Engineer, you'll be one of the most influential technical voices within our Data Science and Engineering team.

You'll help define the future direction of our data platforms and engineering practices while remaining close to the technology that powers them. Working alongside Architects, Engineering leaders and cross-functional squads, you'll help ensure we're building scalable, resilient and modern data solutions that support our ambitious goals.

This role offers a unique balance of technical leadership, innovation and hands-on engineering influence.

You'll have the freedom to challenge existing thinking, introduce new ideas and drive improvements that impact multiple teams. At the same time, you'll play a vital role in developing engineering capability across the organisation, coaching others and creating an environment where great engineers can do their best work.

You'll help drive the future of data engineering at Very by:

• Shaping the technical direction of our data platforms and helping define the roadmap for future growth
• Solving complex engineering challenges that unlock greater scale, reliability and performance
• Acting as a trusted technical leader across multiple squads, helping teams make confident architectural and engineering decisions
• Raising engineering standards through best practice, code quality and modern development approaches
• Coaching and mentoring engineers, helping them grow their skills and careers
• Creating automated, reliable and observable data solutions that support faster and safer delivery
• Collaborating with Architects and Engineering leaders to introduce new technologies and drive innovation
• Helping teams remove blockers, overcome technical challenges and maintain delivery momentum
• Championing a culture of continuous improvement, knowledge sharing and engineering excellence
• Representing Very within the wider technology community and helping us stay close to emerging trends and innovations

About you

You'll be an experienced Data Engineer who enjoys tackling difficult problems and influencing technical direction beyond your own team.

You combine deep technical expertise with a genuine passion for helping others succeed. You're someone people naturally turn to for guidance, whether that's solving a complex engineering problem, reviewing an architecture decision or supporting career development.

You'll likely bring:

• Strong experience designing and building modern data platforms and engineering solutions at scale
• A passion for engineering excellence, automation and continuous improvement
• The ability to influence technical decisions across multiple teams and stakeholders
• A collaborative mindset and a natural coaching approach
• Curiosity about emerging technologies and how they can create value
• Strong problem-solving skills and the confidence to navigate ambiguity
• A desire to stay hands-on while operating as a technical leader

Most importantly, you'll be excited by the opportunity to shape the future of data engineering while helping others grow alongside you.

Some of our benefits

• Flexible, hybrid working model
• Inclusive culture and environment, check out our Glassdoor reviews

• £1000 flexible benefits allowance to suit your needs
• 30 days holiday + bank holidays
• LinkedIn Learning access
• Bonus potential (performance and business-related)
• Up to 25% discount on Very.co.uk

• Matched pension up to 6%
• More benefits can be found on our career site

How to apply 

Please note that the talent acquisition team are managing this vacancy directly, and if successful in securing this role, you will be required to undertake a credit, CIFAS, Right to Work checks and if a specific requirement of your role a DBS (criminal records) check. Should your application progress we require you to let the team know if there is anything you need to disclose in relation to any of these checks prior to them being undertaken, including any unspent criminal convictions.  

What happens next? 

Our talent acquisition team will be in touch if you’re successful so keep an eye on your emails! We’ll arrange a short call to learn more about you, as well as answer any questions you have. If it feels like we’re a good match, we’ll share your CV with the hiring manager to review. Our interview process is tailored to each role and can be in-person or held remotely.  

You can expect a two stage interview process for this position:  

1st Stage - 30 Minutes Teams call - likely with our Data Engineering Manager, we will then share a Take Home Task.

2nd Stage - A one hour technical interview to discuss your take home test in more detail.

As an inclusive employer please do let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments.  

If you'd like to know more about our interviews, you can find out here. 

Diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities

We’re building a culture of everyday inclusion, and welcome applications from anyone who believes they can do the job. We don’t discriminate based on age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

We want our recruitment process to be accessible to everyone. If you need reasonable adjustments to apply, interview, or perform a role, let us know via [email protected]. We’ll be happy to support you.

We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Committed Employer and have nine brilliant colleague networks - including DAWN (Disability Awareness at Very) and Think (Neurodiversity at Very) - that are helping us make Very an even more inclusive place to work.